25 de July de 1914 - Anaïs Nin, a punto de dejar Barcelona para Nueva York (143 + 381)

Last look at Barcelona and last thoughts. The mountains rise up in majestic beauty. The setting sun shows its last pale rays. Here and there, the blue sky holds little white clouds. As I look at this landscape, my mind is crowded with thoughts. We are going to leave Barcelona, leave this beautiful country. No more shall we see this blue sky which delights me so. No more shall I be able to touch my lips to the sweet face of dearest Grandmother.[] No more shall I be able to surrender to nameless thoughts that always come to me in the evening when I lean on the railing of our balcony, in the silence of the night. And last of all, I am sad to think that are leaving a country that has been like a mother and a lucky charm for us.

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In 1908 the family moved to Berlin to further Joaquin’s musical career, and on September 5, 1908, Anais Nin’s youngest brother Joaquin was born. Their father was travelling most of the time until in spring 1909 he called the family to come and live with him in Brussels where he was appointed professor. The lived in Uccle, a suburb of Brussels, and Anais went to school there. The children played a lot with each other, Anais made up stories for her younger brother Joaquin. The family did not live in harmony, however, as the parents still argued a lot and the father regularly spanked the children. The father also took many photographs of the children. In 1912, Anais had to be taken to hospital for an operation, she was very ill for 3 months and the family followed the doctor’s adviced and moved to a warmer climate, to Arcachon, a small town at the French Atlantic coast, in February 1913.

There, her father began to pursue Maruca Rodriguez, the beautiful young daughter of a wealthy family. He left the family and advised Rosa to move to Barcelona and live with his parents. As he did not provide financial help, Rosa sold all their belongings and went to Barcelona. Her family wanted her to return to Cuba but at first she did not believe the separation to be definite and so they lived in Barcelona where Joaquin’s parents took them up and were very friendly. Anais was used to speaking French but now learned Spanish. Her father wrote to her that she should keep speaking French, he did not write to Rosa but wrote to his parents instructing them how to educate the children. Anais brothers spoke Spanish with each other but Anais continued to speak and write in French.

Rosa could not support her three children despite giving singing lessons, so she asked her sisters for help. They agreed to help her to go to New York, which seemed an easy move as she was educated there and her sister Antolina lived there, and so on July 25, 1914, Rosa and her three children took the Montserrat to sail to New York.